Moderate earthquake jolts northern Japan

An quake registering six on the Richter scale had hit eastern Japan on Tuesday and one registering 5.5 had struck western Japan a day before.

An earthquake measuring five on the Richter scale hit northern Japan on Wednesday, marking the third straight day that a sizeable tremor has shaken the country, officials said.

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The quake occurred at 7:28 pm (1028 GMT) in the northern prefectures of Miyagi and Fukushima, 300 kilometres north of Tokyo, the meteorological agency said.

There were no immediate reports of damage or casualties, police said. There was no risk of tsunami waves, the meteorological agency added.

Japan, which lies at the junction of four tectonic plates, has about 20 per cent of the world's powerful earthquakes, frequently jolting Tokyo and other major cities.

An earthquake registering six on the Richter scale had hit eastern Japan late Tuesday and a tremor registering 5.5 had struck western Japan a day before.